Minister Teten Masduki inaugurates a production house aiming to elevate the quality of handmade leather products in Garut, West Java, fostering international competitiveness.
Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Bapak Teten Masduki, shared his optimism for the advancement of handmade leather products, including shoes, bags, and jackets, from Garut, aspiring for them to meet international standards. The inauguration of the Leather Commodity Joint Production House (RPB) in Garut, West Java, took place on 17 February 2024, marking a significant step towards this goal.
Pak Masduki emphasized his vision for the local MSMEs producing leather goods to compete with renowned leather producers from Virenze, Italy, aiming to emulate the standards set by the fashion hub of Italy. The establishment of the RPB is envisioned to catalyze the development of the leather ecosystem within Garut district, fostering growth and innovation in the sector.
The minister underscored the imperative for the RPB to serve as a hub for enhancing production quality and elevating the global reputation of Garut’s leather products. He stressed that the end products must meet world-class standards to enhance the competitiveness of local MSME players in the international market.
Despite Garut’s rich history of leather handicrafts spanning over a century, Pak Masduki acknowledged the existing gap between local products and their Italian counterparts. He attributed this gap to the utilization of low-quality tools by Indonesian MSMEs, hindering their ability to match the quality standards of Italian products.
Pak Masduki expressed his confidence that the modern production tools provided by the RPB would enable local MSMEs to significantly enhance the quality of their leather products. He envisioned these advancements leading to increased exports, thereby boosting the economic prospects of Garut’s MSME sector.
Source: Antara News
